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View products that support dmairfield.org
OTHER RESOURCES
There is no biographical
file for pilot Billings in the archives of the
National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.
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THANK YOU!
YOUR PURCHASE OF THESE BOOKS SUPPORTS THE WEB SITES THAT BRING TO YOU THE HISTORY BEHIND OLD AIRFIELD REGISTERS
Your copy of the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register with all the pilots' signatures and helpful cross-references
to pilots and their aircraft is available at the link. Or use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.
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 The Congress of Ghosts is an anniversary celebration for 2010. It is an historical biography, that celebrates the 5th year online of www.dmairfield.org and the 10th year of effort on the project dedicated to analyze and exhibit the history embodied in the Register of the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ. This book includes over thirty people, aircraft and events that swirled through Tucson between 1925 and 1936. It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders. Order your copy at the link.
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Military Aircraft of the Davis Monthan Register, 1925-1936 is available at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.
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Art Goebel's Own Story by Art Goebel (edited by G.W. Hyatt) is
written in language that expands for us his life as a Golden
Age aviation entrepreneur, who used his aviation exploits to build
a business around his passion. Available as a free download at the link.
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Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race is available at the link. What was it like to fly from Oakland to Honolulu in a single-engine plane during August 1927? Was the 25,000 dollar prize worth it? Did the resulting fame balance the risk? For the first time ever, this book presents the pilot and navigator's stories written by them within days of their record-setting adventure. Pilot Art Goebel and navigator William V. Davis, Jr. take us with them on the Woolaroc, their orange and blue Travel Air monoplane (NX869) as they enter the hazardous world of Golden Age trans-oceanic air racing.
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Clover Field: The First Century of Aviation in the Golden State. With the 100th anniversary in 2017 of the use of Clover Field as a place to land aircraft in Santa Monica, this book celebrates that use by exploring some of the people and aircraft that made the airport great.
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BILL BILLINGS
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Bill Billings, Ca. Early 1930s (Source: UT Dallas)
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Like many Register pilots, Bill Billings has no biographical file at the Smithsonian. The reason is probably that he had very little time to accumulate a track record of accomplishments. He died November 15, 1934 at age 27.
I have very little information about Billings. However, thanks to Branifflist.com Webmaster John North (cited, right sidebar), we know he worked for Braniff Airlines from 1932-1934, carrying seniority number 19. He left Braniff and hired on with Rapid Air Transport in 1934 and was working for them when he died.
Billings landed once at Tucson at 6:20PM, Wednesday, February 24, 1932. He carried nine passengers and cited in the Register, "passengers on good will trip Century Pacific Lines." He did not cite a departure time or date, nor any other details about the good will trip.
They flew an unidentified Stinson trimotor. Four of the passengers were identified as W. Woodson, H. Babcock, D.H. LeClair, and O'Malley. Another passenger's name was unreadable, and the other four were unidentified. Based at Phoenix, AZ, they were northbound from Nogales, AZ back to Phoenix.
His death was caused by an aircraft accident on November 15, 1934 while flying for Rapid Air Transport. The crash took place at Amazonia, MO as he was flying from Omaha, NB to Kansas City, MO. He was carrying two passengers, another crew member and mail. He flew a Stinson SM-6000-B, NC10809 (not a Register airplane). The airplane crashed and burned on a farm and there were no survivors.
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UPLOADED: 10/21/12 REVISED:
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I'm
looking for photographs of pilot Billings and his airplane to include on this page.
If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to
contact me.
Thanks to John North, Webmaster of the Branifflist.com for sharing information on pilot Billings. Please note, this is a password protected Web site. If you have justification, you may log in as a guest, however. Follow the instructions on the home page of Branifflist.
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